treat

I spent three of my teenage years hard at work in an ice cream shop. Not just in the summer either, all year long. I scooped the ice cream, handled the birthday cakes, and loaded up the new inventory. It wasn’t long before I was nicknamed the ice cream girl by my small town and it wasn’t uncommon for me to be out and about and run into someone who would promptly squeal, “Hey look, it’s the ice cream girl!”

The ironic thing is that I actually do not have much of a sweet tooth. I suppose that is why I have been able to work in a chocolate store, an ice cream store and continue to bring you all yummy treat recipes without severely jeopardizing my own health. There are two exceptions to that generalization though, cinnamon rolls and cookie dough ice cream. I haven’t had a real cinnamon roll in years and I still find myself desperately craving them from time to time and I am really never tempted by ice cream… unless it contains cookie dough.

With warm weather quickly getting warmer here in the south I decided it was time to break out my ice cream maker and start experimenting with some yummy new AIP friendly flavors. This one hit the spot! The creamy coconut milk ice cream paired with frozen chunks of cookie dough was the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of warmer weather as we sat on our back porch following a delicious dinner of grass fed steak and veggies.

Also, if you find yourself in need of some more delicious AIP friendly frozen treat ideas I highly recommend this e-book. It came out last summer and I have been enjoying it ever since.

Ice Cream Ingredients:

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl combine your coconut flour, coconut or palm shortening, maple syrup and salt. Then, sprinkle your gelatin on top and immediately follow with your water, mixing thoroughly. Add in your carob chips. Take the dough and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes or until it has firmed up slightly. Then, break it into small chunks or balls and place them back in the freezer to stay firm. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine your coconut milk, maple syrup and optional vanilla. If you are using an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and then add in the cookie dough chunks according to your machine’s instructions. If you do not have an ice cream maker, combine your cookie dough chunks with your ice cream mixture and place in the freezer, stirring every 30 minutes to break up any chunks until it reaches your desired consistency.

“I love that after a day when nothing is sure, and when I say ‘nothing’ I mean nothing, you can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. It’s such a comfort.”

–Amy Adams as Julie Powell

This is one of my favorite cooking quotes because it encapsulates the exact way I feel about baking. Obviously, in my life, eggs and sugar and chocolate and milk are replaced by coconut, honey, and carob powder, but the sentiment is the same. When nothing is certain, when life is confusing or draining, I can walk into my kitchen and create something beautiful and satisfying and delicious, and honestly there is a little bit of magic in that.

When I first went paleo I legitimately went through a mourning period where I thought I would never be able to truly bake again. What I didn’t know was that, in the end, baking would come to mean more to me than it ever could have in my days of egg yolks, sugar and chocolate. Now, my treats symbolize true originality, they are a genuine outlet for creativity and they mean hope and happiness and magic for so many who fear that the joy of food has been lost in the battle for health and life.

I work hard to make my blog a comprehensive resource for those who have decided to follow the autoimmune protocol or paleo diets and that means demonstrating the proper place of treats in the diet as a whole. They are meant to be an occasional indulgence, enjoyed in moderation alongside nutrient dense foods. That being said, if you are like me and love to bake, then you know that sometimes creating a beautiful dessert is a healing salve for the soul and I believe that there is a real value there.

These little beauties make my heart sing because they are as delicate and beautiful as they are delicious and there isn’t a hint of deprivation or imitation to be found in their midst. They are a perfect treat for spring and summer and I hope that they bring joy to your kitchen and fun to the celebratory moments that await you in the warmer weather!

Directions:

To make the crust, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Then, in a medium bowl, combine your coconut flour and arrowroot flour. Add in your honey, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract (optional) and combine. Next, add in your water and stir until the batter begins to thicken. Take a mini muffin tin and grease with coconut oil. Take small chunks of the dough and form them into balls, place the balls into the muffin cups and press to form a cup with an indentation in the middle. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lighting browned. Cool them completely before removing from the tin (I put the whole tray in the refrigerator for about an hour). To remove the crusts from the tin, turn the muffin tray upside down and tap on the bottom of the cups with a spoon or a knife and they will fall out. Once the shortcakes are ready, create your cream by combining all of your ingredients and mixing with a standing or electric mixer until stiff peaks form. If you need the cream to thicken slightly place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Fill the indentation in the cooled shortbread cups with your cream, top with strawberries and enjoy. Store in the refrigerator.

Recently, I was asked by Lauren over at Empowered Sustenance to write a guest post on her site. I have loved her site for a long time. In fact, she was one of the first people I ever read about who was also trying to manage ulcerative colitis naturally. I am so honored to have had the opportunity to share this recipe on her blog, so I hope you all will click through and show her some love!

Paleo Raspberry Carob Truffles

My very first job, outside of babysitting and pet sitting, was in a chocolate store. That seems a little funny to me now since I haven’t had more than a few bites of chocolate in over a year, but I was a sophomore in high school and I couldn’t think of a job more fun. It was a little local chocolate shop with all sorts of handmade confections. The shelves were lined with everything from eggnog truffles in the winter to chocolate covered fruit in the summer. My job was to handle the customers, decorate the store and decorate the chocolate. In return, I got paid a little over five dollars an hour and was allowed to have a piece of chocolate or two per shift. Not a bad deal for a 16 year old in a small town.

While I’ve never had an overwhelmingly strong sweet tooth I absolutely love the intricacy of baking and making desserts. Don’t get me wrong, I love cooking every day meals too, but there is just something so artistic and beautiful about creating that perfect treat. That treat that makes you feel like you are spoiling yourself; experiencing something luxurious.

However, if you are on any sort of a restricted diet for an extended period of time it can be easy to lose that sense of fun and excitement that comes with enjoying a special treat. I have been following the autoimmune protocol for over a year now and while I have seen amazing improvements in my ulcerative colitis symptoms it can sometimes feel like I am only eating to heal rather than to enjoy the experience of food. This feeling can become especially pronounced around holidays, when everyone else is indulging in sweets, eating out at restaurants, or drinking fancy cocktails.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I wanted to create a recipe that was both luxurious and safe for those of us seeking to enjoy the holiday without sacrificing any of our hard work. The result was even more fabulous than I could have imagined!

When I thought up the idea for this recipe I was somewhat skeptical of my ability to make it work, it has been a long time since those days in the chocolate shop, but I wanted to try. How could a truffle, free of chocolate, dairy, refined sugar, and nuts turn into something truly luxurious and indulgent? I set to work with excitement and reserve only to have these little beauties turn out perfectly on the first try! I took a bite of the first one and audibly squealed with delight! I gave one to my husband later and the next words out of his mouth were “are there more of these?!”

If you are in the process of healing through diet and lifestyle changes, you have made a really difficult but rewarding commitment. True healing is not found in constantly “paleo-izing” treats or solely eliminating certain foods. Elimination must be paired with the addition of nourishing, nutrient dense foods like bone broth, leafy greens and grass-fed meat. However, I strongly believe that long term healing is also found in feeling satisfied as well as nourished. So, this Valentine’s Day don’t eye those cheesy heart shaped boxes of chocolates with looks of longing and depravation, whip up a batch of these lovely truffles and indulge in the fact that healing never tasted so good!

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* All recipes, photographs and articles on this site, unless otherwise noted, are my original creations and may not be copied or republished in any form.
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